Take Action: North Carolina’s historic horses in jeopardy

WHEN CORDERO, a wild foal, was first spotted on North Carolina’s famed Outer Banks, the tides were too high to bring a trailer. For the four days that followed, Karen McCalpain, director of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, and volunteers searched for him through wooded areas and marsh until they happened upon him and his family.

Cordero was born with severe front leg deformities – a result of inbreeding. Sadly, due to the severity of his condition, he had to be euthanized.

“I have been in this position for nearly 10 years, and I have watched the number of deformities in small foals steadily increase over this period,” McCalpain explains. “Something desperately needs to be done.”

The Corolla wild horses represent one of the oldest and rarest strains of Colonial Spanish horses. They are listed as a critically endangered breed and have been present in the area since the 1500s. They have survived hurricanes, noreasters, and encroaching development, but these cherished horses may not survive the genetic crisis they now face unless legislation is passed to protect them.

An amendment to the Energy Policy Modernization Act has recently been introduced by North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, and could be the solution to securing the future for this historic herd.

The amendment merely seeks to increase the number of horses allowed from the current population of 82 to between 110 and 130 in order to improve the herd’s genetic viability.

The Shackleford wild horses have been effectively managed at between a population of 110 and 130 for the last 18 years in peaceful co-existence with the ecosystem and recreational activities in a habitat less than half the size of the Corolla herd’s range.

> VGrF posted: “Cross-posted from One Green Planet http://www.onegreenplanet.org > When Cordero, a wild foal, was first spotted on North Carolina’s famed > Outer Banks, the tides were too high to bring a trailer. For the four days > that followed, Karen McCalpain, director of the C” >

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